Family Ties
by LoveOfMine1321
Summary: A series of one-shots. Includes Thalia, Percy, Nico, Annabeth, Luke, and several other main characters.
1. Chapter 1

Talking With Thalia

A dark, frowning figure sat next to me. I looked over to see a fifteen-year-old girl with a pair of black skinny jeans, and a blue short-sleeved Superman shirt on. She had on black Converses and her long, straight black hair ran down her back with ease. She turned to look at me, still frowning, and her startling blue eyes met my clouded sea green eyes. Thalia, Daughter of Zeus, looked at me expectantly.

"Sup?" I asked, trying to lighten the obviously uncomfortable silence. She tucked her knees into her chest, as she turned away from me to stare at the calm ocean waves, at the beach of Camp Half-Blood. She closed her eyes for a long time, and I observed her face. She had a light train of freckles running across her thin, yet sharply detailed nose. Her dark eyelashes were long, and curved slightly upward. She had slim and waxed eyebrows, which emulated the color of her hair.

She shrugged, "I couldn't sleep." I got how she was feeling. The reason why I came out of my cabin was because of the constant nightmares I've been having that made no sense at all. Except the nightmares with Annabeth in them. It hurt me deeply to even think her name. She was kidnapped—not too long ago, and it was only a few days before Thalia was supposed to leave with the hunters on a quest to save both Annabeth and Artemis.

"Nightmares?" I asked her, and she turned to look at me. Her eyes looked strained, like she's been crying for hours or sleep-deprived for days. Probably both. She shook her head, sadly. Her bangs shifted until they clouded her eyes.

"I miss her." She stated after a few long moments of silence. My heart froze. She was talking about Annabeth. I had been so convinced that I was hurting bad because of her kidnapping, but I didn't even stop once to think about how Thalia was taking this. She had practically raised Annabeth for a while, and they were best friends. They had both been through so much together, and it made me feel guilty about thinking I had it the worse. I mean, sure, I had a crush on Annabeth, but Thalia loved her like Annabeth was her own child. So once again, I had nothing on Thalia.

"I do too." I croaked out. It was weak sounding, and I expected her to hit me, but she laughed dryly. It wasn't in a mean way, more of a my-throat-hurts-so-bad-because-I-was-crying-earlier-and-I-know-I-will-probably-start-crying-again-very-soon, way.

"Why are you laughing?" I asked, in what was clearly not anger. I was just curious. The waves became a little heavier and lapped against the shoreline, nearly reaching us.

"We're so stupid. All of this is stupid." She answered, picking up a small rock and tossing it into the sea. She was on the verge of tears again, and she bit down hard on her bottom lip. I nervously put one arm around her shoulders, in comfort. She tensed, but soon relaxed again.

"What do you mean, Thals?"

She sighed, "I don't even know anymore, Perce. I come back from the dead, Luke turns out to be a traitor. I finally get used to the thought of fighting him, and Annabeth is kidnapped. It makes me want to kill him. It makes me want to kill everyone." She took another deep breath, "And here that stupid Zoë is, refusing to let you go on the quest. I know Annabeth means a lot to you too, Percy, but no one else really gets that."

"Zoë just doesn't believe in loving or caring for anyone, boy or girl." I added.

She shook her head, "Zoë believes in love, she's just incapable of it. All she can feel is the hurt of some guy betraying her, and she takes it out on every guy she sees. She's a waste of time, so don't pay her any attention, don't show that she's caused you emotional pain. Don't ever give her that satisfaction. It'll tear you to pieces."

I nodded slowly and looked down at my flip-flops. I was wearing nothing but those and a pair of flannel pajama pants. "What are you hiding?"

She smirked, "I really shouldn't tell you that."

.

"I have a right to know." I argued, crossing my arms over my bare chest. She smiled and arched one eyebrow in question.

"Okay," She clicked her tongue, "Annabeth likes you."

"Whaaa….?" I stuttered, my mouth suddenly dry. She laughed at my expression, then her features softened and she was left with nothing but a goofy smile on her face.

"Annabeth. Likes. You." She said much slower, nodding her head along with every word, as if that would help me understand even better. Why would she like me? She was _Annabeth_. Annabeth was one of the prettiest girls in camp, having to compete with only a few girls in the Aphrodite cabin and Thalia. With her long, curly golden hair, and ashen, clouded eyes, she was a natural beauty.

I eventually came to my senses, enough to talk. "I'm a loser. Why would she like me?" I asked dejectedly.

"Beats me. You are a loser." She grinned and I nudged her playfully with my shoulder before she continued, "But you're a sweet, kind, loving, funny, brave loser."

"Those words don't really go together."

"Ah, they are quite rare." She joked. "But in all seriousness, I see the way she looks at you. She's slightly confused about her feelings, but I know she likes you. Maybe even loves you, but she's not going to admit to it, at least not yet. Give her time, and make sure she knows she will always have a chance."

I smiled, "I don't get you. One day, you hate me and try to hurt me because I ruined the game of capture the flag. The next, you're being a true cousin and giving me advice."

She propped her chin up on her knees and her gaze was sad, "Everyone thinks children of the Big Three are misunderstood. They think we're confusing. Except for Annabeth, no one even makes the smallest effort to understand. None of them know what it feels like to be unwanted mistakes, that play a big part in whether they all die or not."

"Yeah, I get how you feel. Everyone, even Annabeth, treats me like I'm not supposed to be here. The only one that is really there for me is my mom."

She smiled sadly, "Wish I could say the same. My mom made everything about herself. She…used to beat on me, to make herself look bigger and stronger in comparison, I guess. I used to have bruises and marks all over my body."

"I'm sorry." I said with as much sympathy as I could mutter, which was a lot. "I bet it hurt." I added stupidly. She lowered her voice to a mere whisper when she spoke again.

"That isn't what hurt."

We sat in silence for a few more minutes, before she cleared her throat. "So, Luke's a traitor, and Annabeth is kidnapped, and you both like each other, my mother used to beat me. What else did we forget to cover?"

I smiled, "What do you think about Mr. D?"

She grinned wickedly, "Drunken douchebag. I swear if he calls me Tina Goddard one more time, I'm gonna shave all of his arm hair off with a potato peeler, and shove a bottle of Chardonnay down his chubby throat."

"I'd like to see that."


	2. After the Sword of Hades

**After the Swords of Hades Quest:**

**December 21****st****, 2008.**

**Little Italy, New York. **

Thalia Grace frowned, stabbing a piece of baked ziti, and shoving it into her mouth. Her two cousins, Percy Jackson and Nico Di Angelo, sat across from her in the small, cozy leather booth seat located in the back of the Italian restaurant they were in. Somehow, Nico had convinced Thalia to try Italian food instead of taking them out to a cheeseburger joint as she had previously promised. And…Thalia liked it. Which seemed strange to her. Sure, she had had Italian food before, many times actually (whenever her mother had to go to meet a director or fellow movie star/singer, she'd bring Thalia along to sort of "show off", and most of the time they went to an expensive Italian place), but she was surprised at how different this food tasted than the other Italian places she had eaten at. She looked at Nico with awed eyes.

Nico was a short, dark-haired boy, but he had plenty of power, so he wasn't one to be underestimated. He was wearing plain black v-neck shirt, black jeans, a brown leather Aviator jacket, and he had a skull ring on his right hand. His shaggy hair went to his shoulders, just like Percy's did, and his dark brown, almost black eyes, looked more lifeless now that they were all out of the Underworld. "I'm taking it you like it?" He asked his eldest cousin, smiling slightly at her wide, electric blue orbs, and tan, awestruck face.

"Hell yeah I like it!" Thalia retorting, causing a few people at other tables to look over at the three teenage kids sitting in a booth by themselves, without any parents. Percy laughed aloud, being the joyful kid he sometimes was, and Thalia frowned, "What is it, Sea biscuit?"

Percy didn't even frown at the nickname, but he stopped laughing, "You two are the best cousins ever." He remarked, earning a wicked smirk from both Nico and Thalia. He studied each of his cousins with interest. Nico was wearing the same clothes he wore when they got sucked into the Underworld, but Thalia had changed from her Hunter's attire. She said it would attract too much unwanted attention. Now, she was dressed in a pair of black skinny jeans, a gray Rise Against t-shirt, black combat boots, and her Mediterranean skinned face was clear of any makeup. Her jet black hair was longer now, a little bit passed her shoulder blades, and she looked nice.

"We better be." Thalia muttered, digging into her mozzarella and sauce covered pasta again. "I wonder where the Hunters are right now." She thought aloud, reaching over to steal a sip of Percy's soda.

"Hey! That's mine!"

She shrugged innocently, "I was out. Sorry." She didn't really sound sorry at all. It was more of a "_you snooze, you lose" _kind of sorry. Percy sighed and rolled his sea green eyes, not really willing to do anything about it. Percy was dressed in a pair of tan cargo shorts, and a black, vintage Star Wars shirt.

"Anyway, about the Hunters, I don't really care what they're doing." Nico supplied, taking a sip of his own drink. He kind of wished Thalia would've taken a sip from his, he wouldn't have minded if _she _did. He thought Thalia was gorgeous. Well, more like he _knew _Thalia was gorgeous. She was a daughter of Zeus, after all, and she had been one of the very few of his offspring to inherit his good looks and charm. When Nico was at camp for the short time he was, when the weird scorpion thing had kidnapped Annabeth, all he heard the boys in the Hermes cabin talking about was Thalia, Annabeth, Silena, Katie Gardner, food, stealing things, and playing pranks. It was quite boring there, really. And Nico, being a Son of Hades, didn't really belong at camp. He was a loner. And why would Thalia like a loner, anyway?

Thalia rolled her electric blue eyes, "Of course you don't." She finished eating quickly, as Percy ate the remainder of his lasagna and Nico devoured his spaghetti, and wiped her plump, pink lips with a napkin. "But it would still be nice to know. Artemis is probably worried about me."

Percy smiled, "She trusts you, though. She knows you wouldn't run off with any _boys_. We're men. Aren't we Nico?" Percy stuck his nose up in the air, pretending to look macho, and clasped a hand over his heart.

That instantly had Thalia laughing, and Nico giving a small, shy smile. It was really hard to get Nico to be happy. He had been through so many deaths, and seen so many horrifying things. Too many for his age. He nodded, "Sure are, Percy. Thalia is just thrilled to be with such strong, handsome, brave men right now."

Thalia smirked, "Percy, you're fifteen. Nico, you're twelve. You're not men. Except in Sparta, maybe, but we're in New York. In the 21st centaury. Better luck next time, boys. " With a roll of her eyes, she chugged the rest of Percy's drink in record time. Percy mumbled something about getting a refill, and left to the counter with his empty glass.

"So…Di Angelo. Thanks for taking us here. It was fun." Thalia smiled, showing her straight, white teeth. Nico found himself smiling back, more than he had at all that night. Seeing Thalia direct a smile his way made the butterflies that were already in his stomach, start doing somersaults. The daughter of Zeus was beautiful, having inherited beauty from both Zeus and a world-renowned actress/singer, and he thought it was safe to say he had a crush on her. And just looking at her stunning features, made him think so many cliché things, he was ashamed to call himself a son of the Lord of the Dead. Well he was already ashamed, but even more so. Of course he didn't just like her for her looks. She was smart, cunning, witty, humorous, mischievous, playful, violent, and a whole lot of other things that contradicted each other. He loved how he could be himself around his cousins, and is never afraid of what they might think of him. Since Bianca died, they had been the closest to ever understanding him.

"You're welcome, Thalia. I had—uh—fun also." He murmured out, looking up in time to see Percy arriving at the booth table again with three large to-go cups filled with soda. Thalia smiled at Nico again, before standing up and taking one of the cups out of Percy's hands. Nico followed her example, and together, the three exited the restaurant, Thalia manipulating the Mist on the way out to make it look like they paid for their meal.

"What else you fellas feel like doin'?" Thalia asked in a mock-Italian accent. It was actually accurate, which surprised the boys. When she noticed the looks the boys were giving her, she shrugged, taking a sip out of her straw, "What? I can't have layers?"

Percy shook his head with a smile and said, "I don't know. What do you want to do, Thals?" She shrugged again, but began to walk ahead of the boys, Percy on her lower left side, and Nico on her right.

"Wanna visit a museum?" Nico asked.

Percy and Thalia gave him weird looks, but Thalia agreed, "Alright, but just to pass the time, _Annabeth_." Percy laughed at this and Nico glared at Thalia's back. "Wanna go to the Brooklyn Museum? They have a nice feminist art exhibit."

Nico smirked, "Because we're just _so _interested in that." Percy smirked along with him, and Thalia murmured incoherent things under her breath, most likely curses. Nico found himself staring at Thalia, watching each graceful step she took. The way her hips swayed slightly with ever step, the way she seemed to have her very own, confident, Zeus-worthy strut. Then he caught sight of something that rose suspicion. The back of her shirt hitched up slightly, just enough for him to make out black ink. Did Thalia have a tattoo? She seemed like the type of person to have one. And he meant that in a good way.

Before he could get a better glimpse of it, her shirt fell back down to cover her secret up again, and they arrived in front of a car dealership. "Uh—Thalia—" Percy started, "Isn't that…illegal?" He asked as she began to climb over the electric fence surrounding the closed car lot.

"Illegal smegal. We need a car to get to Brooklyn. What, you thought I was going to walk that far? Please." Thalia scoffed, reaching the top of the fence, and jumping over, landing gracefully on the other side. "Stay out there. The fence will probably fry you. I'll be right back." And the two boys watched as their older cousin disappeared behind the parade of vehicles on sale.

"Sooo…" Percy drawled out, digging his hands into his front pockets.

* * *

**~In the Car Lot~**

"Damn it." Thalia cursed, as she accidentally ran her right thigh into a stack of tires. "Piece of crap." She limped her way past the rest of the cars, until she reached the complete back of the lot. The idiots actually thought she was stealing a car from the dealer ship. She smirked to herself, flinging her lithe body over the back fence, and landing on her ass on the other side. "What the hell happened to my gracefulness?"

She scowled when she realized that statement could be easily made into a pun. She stood up and wiped her backside with nimble, quick hands, and turned to face a three-story house facing the back of the car lot. She took a deep breath before getting up the nerve to cross the street and knock on the white door. Not even seconds later, the door was swung open to reveal a brown-haired woman, with crystal blue eyes, clad in a tight yellow bikini. Thalia bit her bottom lip roughly as the woman asked, a cigarette dangling from the corner of her mouth, "Yeah? I ain't got all day kid. You want to sell me cookies or something?"

"No ma'am," Thalia took to a softer tone, admitting, "I'm here to pick up my inheritance. All of it." Her eyes narrowed threateningly, and she watched as the busty brunette's eyes widened in both horror and shock.

"Th—Tha—Thal—"

"Thalia." Thalia filled in, not waiting for the woman's reaction before barging through the door, brushing harshly past the woman, and glancing around the interior of the home. "It's…nice. I like what you did with the place, Aunt Sophie. It's been what, seven—eight years? So where the hell is my money?"

* * *

**~Back To Percy and Nico~**

"What's taking her so long?" Nico groaned aloud, peeved at Thalia's absence. She had been gone for nearly 30 minutes. How long did it take to steal a car, anyway? Nico didn't know. But if cops started driving around the corner, he was going to haul ass. He didn't even care if Percy followed.

* * *

**~House of Sophie Grace~**

"I thought you were dead, Thalia. We all thought you were dead. Thal, your mother—" Sophie spoke in such a depressed manner, it even made Thalia feel like locking herself in a room. The twenty year old glanced around nervously, as if looking for someone.

"Don't mention her in my presence again, Soph." Thalia ordered, holding up a hand. Sophie started to argue, when Thalia once again silenced her, "As for the dead thing, I was never dead. I was just…sleeping."

Sophie gave a silent gasp, "You mean like in a coma?" As beautiful as Sophie was, she was truthfully one of the most idiotic people Thalia had ever had the misfortune of meeting.

Thalia nodded, "You can say that." Swiftly, and so fast that her Aunt didn't even notice, she reached out and snatched the cigarette from Sophie's fingers. Popping it in between her lips, Thalia took a drag, before pulling it out, and exhaling smoke. Then, without hesitation, she threw it on the polished wood floors, and stomped it out with her boot. She smiled wryly, "You shouldn't smoke."

Sophie gave a sarcastic laugh, "Oh, you're hilarious, Thalia. Really. I hope you realize how much of a hypocrite you are." She insulted dryly, smiling smugly when Thalia's face flashed red.

"Oh, I'm the hypocrite?" Thalia scoffed, "You've always been pathetic, Soph. You always were too preoccupied with judging others to see your own faults." She let out her breath, "But fortunately for you, I'm not here to argue or kill you…well, maybe not. You never know with a Grace. But as for now, I just want my inheritance money. And my car." She smugly smirked at her young Aunt, stepping forward and laughing as Sophie flinched.

"Give me a minute." The twenty year old muttered, disappearing up the staircase. Thalia sighed heavily, turning around to look at the fireplace. On the mantel, a large photo album caught her eye. Shrugging to herself, she walked over and picked it up, carrying it over to the leather couch, where she then sat down. She opened the big black book, and smiled softly at the first page. It was of Thalia, about four years old, sucking on a lollipop, which stained her mouth. She wore a small Mickey Mouse shirt, and a pair of red plaid boxer shorts. Her long black hair cascaded down her back, and her electric blue eyes seem to glitter in childish joy. Next to her was a one-year-old girl, with very little brown hair, and light blue eyes. The one year old was wearing a diaper and Barbie t-shirt. The picture was of her and Sophie.

She snatched the photo out, tucking it in her pocket. She scanned the page for other pictures, choking up when she saw a familiar face. Thalia was ten in the picture. She had a dark ring surrounding one of her eyes, and fading bruises could be spotted along her arms. A small toddler, with Thalia's blue eyes, but with platinum blonde hair, clung to her leg, smiling. Jason Alexander Grace was a cute boy, with angelic-like dimples in his plump cheeks. As much as it pained her, she grabbed that picture, as well as a few others of her and her brother. One was of her singing him to sleep, another of her rocking him, yet another one of them playing catch with a football, and the last of them posing next to their mother. Mother. The word stung even for Thalia to think it. Her mother was a stunningly gorgeous woman, with golden, smooth locks of hair, which cascaded down her back, and beautiful hazel-blue eyes that seemed to hold a special kind of love within them. Most of that love disappeared when Zeus left. Her mother used to beat the life out of Thalia, and it didn't even cease when she was pregnant with Jason. Her pregnancy hormones, and cravings, and rage, were almost too much for Thalia to handle. But at the end of the ninth month, it all seemed to be worth it. But then he was taken, or worse, killed. Thalia shook those thoughts off. There was no use in thinking of the past now. She'd just keep all her emotions in like she had learned to, although it was difficult with her temper.

"Thalia." Sophie called from the bottom of the staircase. Thalia quickly stood up, put the photo album back and turned to face her Aunt. "Here are the keys to your car. It's in the garage. Here are all the paper of your mother's will and the number of the lawyer to call to collect your money. I'm glad to see you're okay."

Thalia allowed herself a small, halfhearted smile, and hugged Sophie, taking the papers and keys from her, "I'll—uh—try to visit. And I'm sorry." Sophie nodded and said farewell as Thalia exited the home. As soon as she was out, she smirked mischievously. Sophie would find out about the pictures before long.

* * *

**~In Front of the Car Dealership~**

"When will she—" Percy started, but was interrupted by the sound of a car cruising by. Percy gawked at the gray and black 1969 Camaro SS parking on the side of the road in front of them. But what shocked him the most was the 15-year-old girl in the driver's seat.

Thalia smirked, leaning her head to see out of the passenger side window, "Well losers, are you going to get in, or am I going to have to ditch you guys?" Without any more hesitation, the boys scrambled into the leather-interior car, marveling at the craftsmanship.

"Thalia, where did you…" Nico let the question hang, as he rubbed his hands affectionately over the black dashboard. "A car like this is pretty expensive, if it's what I think it is."

Thalia cocked an eyebrow, since when did Nico get interested in cars? She simply smirked again, "That's for me to know, and for you to _never _find out." Percy laughed, while Nico pouted, feeling dejected.

"Whatever Thalia. Let's just get to the damn museum." Nico muttered. He was surprised when he felt a hand come into contact with the back of his head. He glared at Percy.

Percy shrugged, "We don't cuss, Nico. Even if you are really seventy. Right Thalia?" He asked her, wagging his finger disapprovingly at the Son of Hades.

Thalia looked over at him briefly, her eyebrows furrowed, and then went back to driving. She made a smooth left, and nodded, "Yeah, sure. I certainly do _not _cuss. Like ever. I'm an angel, really. I should get a Nobel prize."

Nico snorted in derision, which earned him another whack, this time from Thalia. As they drove off to Brooklyn, Nico couldn't help thinking how right it felt to be hanging out with his cousins. For the first time in nearly two years, he felt like he belonged.

**All right, that was pretty cheesy. And I mean like Parmesan, Romano, Gouda, mozzarella, cheddar, all of that. But I finally updated, this story. I know, I know. What about the other story, right? I'm working on it, and I'm almost finished. Honest. Cross my heart and hope to—nah, I don't want to die. But I am almost finished with it. I just have a smidgen more to put in. Sorry if this story seemed WAY too ADHD. The thing is, I actually have ADHD, and sometimes it shows in my writing. But, I'll use some stupid excuse like: Well, the characters have ADHD, so that's why it can be confusing. But no, it's really just me. So what did you think of the one-shot-thingy-majigger here. It's not too good, in all honesty. But, I was thinking of making a story from this particular one-shot. Should I, and any ideas? **

**See, I've had a few ideas. Like, they are sent back in time, they have to go on another quest, they read one of the books, they get stuck in the Underworld, or a whole bunch of other things. But I'm not sure if it would be interesting. I tried to give a little background to Thalia in this, but it probably sucked. That's okay, though. I had to bring in another one of her family members, to show how she finally got her inheritance money from her mother's death, so I made up Sophie. She might've come off as a bitch. Not really sure. Then again, Thalia was pretty stingy, too. Well, she just wanted her money. Greedy, greedy Thalia. **

**Well, thanks for reading. My battery is going dead. I'm gonna have to plug my charger in. Like now. I will get right on that. That's what she said. I'm so immature. **


	3. Our Very Own Campfire Song

**Our Very Own Campfire Songs**

"Thalia?" A petite, blonde girl asked, withering under the single wool blanket that covered her body. A girl, no older than twelve or thirteen, turned around to see the blonde in question, looking up at her with curious, gray eyes, and Thalia couldn't stop the smile that immediately lit up her face.

"Yeah, Annabeth?" The dark-haired teen replied, sitting next to the seven-year-old daughter of Athena. Thalia loved Annabeth, although she may be reluctant to admit it, the girl was like her own child. Thalia did her best to provide whatever mother-needs the little girl had, because she knew from experience that not everyone had the best mom. Some were negligent. Others cared for their children. But, Thalia, seeming to have the worst luck of all, ended up with the abusive, passive aggressive, alcoholic, and possessive type of mother. Thalia could never do right in her mother's eyes, even though Thalia was by no means, a disgrace. She had many talents, but they were hardly appreciated. Thalia made sure Annabeth knew them, though. She'd sometimes sing softly to Annabeth to get her to sleep, as she used to do with her younger brother Jason, and she even started playing the guitar along with the words.

"Do you…I mean…what are…who…" Annabeth struggled to ask her question, but couldn't quite find the words. Thalia sighed, sarcastically rolling her eyes and muttering playfully, "Oh, get on with it, will you?"

"Have you ever met your Dad?" She spat out, and instantly felt like she should take it back. Thalia's usually bright electric blue eyes, faded into a steely cobalt color, and her slim, yet strong jaw was clenched tightly. Annabeth was afraid she had offended her friend.

But in a way of reassurance, Thalia sighed and started to relax, "A couple of times." It wasn't a lie. Her father had come to visit her, and to check up on her. _Oh, and don't forget how he specifically came to bone your mother again, and ended up knocking her up with another mistake, _Thalia reminded herself bitterly. "Why'd you want to know, Annie?" She continued to ask, trying hard to keep the anger and annoyance, which had arisen at the mention of her dead-beat Olympian father, out of her voice.

Thalia was the only one Annabeth ever let call her any abbreviations of her name, but only because she had gotten so used to Thalia calling her them, despite any previous begging on the seven year old's part. Thalia was a stubborn girl, as Annabeth figured Zeus would be. The girl shrugged from beneath her blanket, curled up close to the campfire to stay warm, "I was just wondering. I've never seen my mother." She stated in that cute and innocent little girl's tone that Thalia had begun to favor over the last two months they had been on the run with her.

"Trust me, sometimes you're better off that way, kiddo." Thalia remarked dryly, plucking a few strings of her acoustic guitar. The disgust in her tone went unidentified by the brilliant child, but it spiked another wave of curiosity throughout her small being.

"Why, Thalia? Is your father…bad?" Annabeth's eyes narrowed in contemplation, and her golden eyebrows scrunched together in a way that Thalia thought looked plain out adorable. She liked to call it the girl's 'cluttered face', because inside Annabeth's mind, Thalia realized, about a million thoughts were colliding together by the second.

"Depends on the terms, love. As a leader and Lord of the Skies, he's great. He's the best there's ever been. As far as being a sympathetic and loving father, he's kind of lacking." Thalia explained, tuning the guitar by memory, in order to play one of Annabeth's favorite bedtime songs.

It took Annabeth by surprise sometimes when Thalia spoke of her parents, and home life, and feelings. She said it with very little emotion, the most prominent emotion being either anger or resentment, and her eyes lost their occasional cheerful sparkle. Sometimes, the older girl got to where she would shut the world out for hours, just wanting to be on her own for a while. At first, when Annabeth had begun running away with Thalia and Luke, she thought that the older girl's need for alone time had something to do with her. But, Annabeth realized, Thalia had been like that before Annabeth had joined the teens. She was broken. By who, Annabeth didn't know. She just knew that Thalia hardly ever showed any emotions other than anger or the occasional amusement. "Sometimes, I wonder what my mom is like." The blonde sighed, almost wistfully.

Thalia glanced up from her guitar again, to arch jet-black eyebrow, silently inviting Annabeth to continue. "My Dad…he never wanted me. He begged mom to take me back when I was an infant, but she refused. Soon, my Dad married this real awful lady. She had red, big hair, and she was really mean to me. They had babies together, twins, and they didn't want me anymore. They never wanted me in the first place. And sometimes, I wonder, if I knew my mom, would she love me? Would she want me, like no one else seem to do?"

Thalia frowned sadly at the girl, "Look, angel cakes. Me and Luke—"

"Luke and I." Annabeth corrected, muttering quietly.

"_Luke and I_," Thalia sighed, "want you here with us. We want you Annabeth. I…we love you like you were…our own child or a sibling." Thalia was saddened at the beaten puppy look on the younger girl's face, but was relieved when the girl finally smiled in response.

"Like a family?" Annabeth's baby face lit up joyfully. Thalia smiled, and shook her head at Annabeth's joy.

"Yeah." Thalia replied, "Like a family. Who needs the Gods, anyway? We got all the support we need right here." She glanced around, to see that Luke, their handsome fourteen-year-old companion, had already drifted off to sleep. She smiled, and looked back at Annabeth, "Now it's the baby's bedtime. I'll take first watch."

Annabeth smiled happily, before snuggling down to get to sleep, and yawned softly as Thalia began to sing and strum the guitar.

_Your little hand's wrapped around my finger_  
_And it's so quiet in the world tonight_  
_Your little eyelids flutter cause you're dreaming_  
_So I tuck you in, turn on your favorite night light_  
_To you everything's funny, you got nothing to regret_  
_I'd give all I have, honey_  
_If you could stay like that_

_Oh darling, don't you ever grow up_  
_Don't you ever grow up, just stay this little_  
_Oh darling, don't you ever grow up_  
_Don't you ever grow up, it could stay this simple_  
_I won't let nobody hurt you, won't let no one break your heart_  
_And no one will desert you_  
_Just try to never grow up, never grow up._

"Thalia lay with me, pwease." Annabeth pleaded, her voice slightly muffled by the pillow in the tent that Luke had stolen for them, along with just about everything else they had. Thalia sighed, before lying back, and setting the guitar down next to them. She got underneath the shared blanket, but allowed Annabeth to hog the pillow.

"Now, keep quiet, Luke is sleeping."She warned quietly, and began to sing again, not noticing the smile that appeared on the possum-playing Luke's face.

"I love you too, Thalia." Annabeth mumbled sleepily, referring to what Thalia had let slip out earlier. Luke and Thalia cared for her. Annabeth yawned once again, and drifted off to sleep, hearing Thalia's voice.

After the younger girl had closed her eyes, Thalia stopped abruptly, and pecked the girl's forehead with a light kiss, "Yeah, well don't expect a gift basket kid."

Luke stifled a laugh at Thalia's behavior, but Thalia rolled her eyes at him, and cuddled closer to Annabeth, hoping nightmares wouldn't haunt them in their sleep that night. Soon, they'd be at Camp Half-Blood, and safe from the monsters that were chasing them.

**Ah, yet another sappy moment. I don't know why I insist upon them. My feet are vibrating right now because I just got finished mowing the lawn. You ever get that feeling in your feet. Maybe it's just me. I'm a weirdo. The Girl With the Vibrating Feet. It could be an act in a circus. –Sigh- Well, I realized I didn't do a one-shot involving Annabeth or Luke, really, so I decided to do it. There's no Percy, sadly, nor Nico. But for the next one-shot, I'm thinking about a Jason-Nico-Leo one. One is Thalia's brother, and the other two like her. It's a perfect picture, except not at all. Well, what do you think? Should I do that one, or do you have any suggestions for any other ones? **

**Oh, and by the way (sorry if this is way too long for your liking), I have some people wondering about my other story Of Wisdom and Water, and if I'm going to update. I am. Swear. I'm just sort of…stuck. I decided to do sort of a flashback from either Annabeth's or Percy's point of view, from when they were turned into Gods. Just to show a little background. But until it's finished, you're stuck with this crap. Sorry. ~_~. **

**Oh well, thanks for reading and all of your reviews. R&R? No? Oh okay, I guess you don't have to. But if you want to, you know what to do. Shut off your computer and never read this load of crap again! Wait, no. That's not what you do. You click the review button. Silly me.**

**P.S: I don't own Percy Jackson, or the song above. The song is "Never Grow Up" by Taylor Swift. –Sigh-I want the rights to Percy Jackson. I'll keep dreaming.**


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